McMinnville resident and Ducktown native Barbara C. Hensley Mingle, 63, died Aug. 6 at her home after an extended illness.A telephone operator, a homemaker and a member of the Baptist Church, she was the daughter of the late Clyde and Leona Simmons Hensley; and was preceded in death by stepson, Mark Mingle.She is survived by…

McMinnville resident and Pelham native Arthur Paul (A.P.) Ikeard Sr., 75, died Aug. 4 at River Park Hospital.A retired equipment operator with McMinnville Water and Sewer and an attender of the Church of Christ, he was the son of the late Willie and Mae Belle Kennerly Ikeard Sr.; and was preceded in death by daughter,…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Four communities will soon share $100 million in federal funds to develop bicycle and pedestrian trails aimed at enticing commuters to give up their cars to get to work, thanks to lawmakers involved in the final negotiations on the recently passed highway bill. The four pilot projects at $25 million each were…

SPACE CENTER, Houston (AP) — With the most anxiety-ridden part of their flight still to come, shuttle Discovery and its crew of seven set off for home Saturday after leaving the international space station. Monday’s planned predawn re-entry will be the first by a space shuttle since Columbia’s catastrophic descent 2 1/2 years ago. The…

By DAVID CRARY / AP National Writer With a rousing presidential visit just days after a deadly accident, the just-completed National Scout Jamboree epitomized the recent tumult roiling the Boy Scouts of America — tragedy, high-profile scandals, lawsuits and dwindling ranks on one hand, but also a new wave of support extending to the highest…

By LIZ SIDOTI / Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON — The White House and Republican Senate leaders are rumbling toward a defense showdown with their GOP rank and file that could embarrass President Bush and take a rare wartime slap at Pentagon authority. When the Senate returns this fall and resumes debate on a defense bill,…

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Associated Press has been keeping a U.S. casualty count since the war began in Iraq in March 2003. This story is based in part on those figures and the Defense Department’s explanation for how the Americans died. It is part of series of periodic looks at the overall situation in Iraq. BAGHDAD,…

CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) — The angry mother of a fallen U.S. soldier staged a protest near President Bush’s ranch Saturday, demanding an accounting from Bush of how he has conducted the war in Iraq. Supported by more than 50 demonstrators who chanted, “W. killed her son!” Cindy Sheehan told reporters: “I want to ask the…

CLINTON (AP) — A judge delayed accepting a plea agreement for a woman accused of trying to shoot the suspected rapist of her 16-year-old daughter, saying she was “hotheaded.” Circuit Court Judge James B. “Buddy” Scott said Friday he wanted to study the case further. The alleged attempted shooting occurred in a parking lot next…

OAK RIDGE (AP) — Peace activists marked the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, on Saturday with a moment of silence outside the heavily guarded weapons factory that helped fuel the bomb, and later 15 were arrested for blocking the road in front of the plant. “No more Hiroshimas on this earth.…